Gluten & Dairy free sweets and crisps (UK)

Seabrook crisps are labelled as gluten free

Rowntrees jelly tots & fruit gums

After eight and all flavours of matchmakers

If you join coeliac society they will send you a list of gluten free products which is really useful

I try to think of it as positively as I can as there are loads of things you can have !

Good luck ...

Bettyboop4 is quite correct - you need to get a copy of The Food Directory from the Coeliac Society - Coeliac Org UK website - because if you want to go gluten free it has to be total or you are wasting your time.

Gluten is in so many products you need to start off with the correct information.

If gluten is damaging you just the tiniest crumb of it will continue to damage your small intestine....and prevent absorption of vitamins and minerals - this is what everyone needs to know.

Tesco does have gluten free crisps...and chocolate, cakes etc - but you have to search the ingredient labels - which is what you need to do anyway to go gluten free. Look out for the bold writing - Wheat, Barley and Rye all contain gluten. Oats are contaminated with it (from wheat) unless you buy specifically gluten free Oats. Just in case of help! Read up on the Coeliac Org UK website for real help.

Hi again

You need to join the coeliac society and get a copy of their food ' bible' . It lists everything you can eat. If it is not in there you can't eat it !! It was so long ago, that I can't remember if you have to be diagnosed to get a free one or if you can buy one anyway. They constantly update it and it is invaluable. Hope that is useful

Not quite accurate natcann as there are a lot of foods you can eat which are not listed in the Food Directory...like fresh fruit and vegetables, meat and fish etc (not battered!) ...but you have to be careful with sauces, gravies etc and the various Supermarkets list their gluten free products to make shopping easier for you to check....but always look at the labels as well....sometimes they change the ingredients without telling anyone! (FSA also provide updates on this on their website - which you would never know about otherwise!) Just a crumb of guten is enough to cause continuing damage to the gut and prevent any chance of getting well again...the diet has to be totally gluten free or you are wasting your time.

At one time you had to be diagnosed as Coeliac to join Coeliac UK and get the Food Directory - but that is not the case now. They are only too well aware how many people remain incorrectly diagnosed with IBS or similar for years....so at least if they are desperate they can try the gluten free diet for themselves - and would need the Directory to ensure they are not getting gluten inadvertently as it is hidden in so many products you would never think of! Even grated cheese is put into a floured bag ...so Baked potato with cheese may be best avoided if you eat out!

The little Directory is invaluable in the early days ...couldn't have managed without it. Around £15 a year for the Coeliac Magazine and the Food Directory - latter updated and new one every year - lots of useful stuff in the magazine and information on research and latest findings on the Coeliac auto-immune condition.

Will try and post a link I just found ...may or may not come up...but very true!

http://ow.ly/vdHCO

Yes you are right. I just assumed everybody knew the basics and that fruit and veg are fine. I have been diagnosed since 1998 and still didn't know about the grated cheese. I actually grate my own as I don't like the pre grated one, but I may have had it when eating out. It's amazing how one can slip up even after all this time. A friend of mine has a 5 year old who was so ill before he was diagnosed but is usually ok now that he is GF.Some time ago the class was making cakes at school. They put him on a separate table away from the other kids with his GF ingredients but he became ill and they called an ambulance. The doc said he must have been inhaling the flour from the next table. I trot this story out when people tell me it is a fad diet because they just don't realise how serious it can be !

Absolutely natcann! I mentioned fruit and veg because you would be surprised how often I am asked if I am ok with potato.....etc.... . See they have allowed my amusing link above - it is a serious point though!

One thing I have noticed when eating out is that they will offer some dishes as gluten free by removing some of the things off them, eg ploughmans lunch with no bread - but I feel disappointed by this and think theyshould offer alternatives especially as they still charge the same.

Its trial and error for me as I am relatively new to all this but I'm getting there.

Very true Bettyboop. I hate it when they say Yes the Sunday lunch is gluten free - ie meat and veg - and that is what they serve up - no sauce or gravy....(where the gluten is contained) and yet I am charged the same for this dry and difficult to eat dinner. If I book in advance I ask if they will be making me gluten free gravy - it is easy enough to do - and then they usually say Yes. If I turn up unannounced I can understand it may be difficult - but it shouldn't be because they could easily keep a Gluten free gravy product in stock. They only have to pour boiling water on it for goodness sake! Better than nothing.

I so agree - if they are eliminating parts of the menu they should be increasing the amount on your plate which is gluten free. Only fair. You just have to ask ask ask every time you go out to eat...and speak to the Chef himself as the waiting staff often do not know what gluten free means. My family wonder why I refuse to go out to eat at busy times.....no chance of a chat with the Chef then! Have to plan in advance if I possibly can. Hang in there Bettyboop...it is better than it used to be!

I don't know if any of you live in Devon but there is a pub/restaurent called Smugglers in Dawlish. It is the best for GF that I have been to. They do a carvery every day besides an ordinary menu. They provide yorkshires even if they are frozen. Gravy is made with cornflour and even the cauliflour cheese is GF. All the staff understand GF and are so helpful. They also provide a GF pudd of the day ( usually crumble) and a selection of GF sauces for ice cream. They make you feel privileged instead of a pain !!

Thanks for that natcann - no don't live in Devon but will make a note as go down that way occasionally. The Coeliac Society also like to know of places like this as they have a UK list they keep where you can check out recommended restaurants or pubs - or even fish and chip shops etc! You may know this already of course - and do let Coeliac UK know of it if you can....a rare place if you can get a Yorkshire pud ....and crumble as well!

Here is another link (which I hope will be allowed) from the Foods Standards Agency - lots of information on here for sufferers of IBS, allergies and Coeliac condition - please share with others:

http://food.gov.uk/science/research/allergy-research/#.Uz1HrvmuM-c

Another link you might find useful - which shows how we cannot rely on Companies (in particular those who are not specifically sellers of only gluten free products) to maintain the standard required - we can only cross our fingers and hope for the best most of the time:

food.gov.uk/search/?q=gluten&date=§ion=inurl%3A%2Fnews-updates%2Fnews%2F&site=default_collection&client=fsa_gov&output=xml_no_dtd&oe=UTF-8&ie=UTF-8&proxystylesheet=fsa_gov&as_dt=i&p=%2Fsearch%2F&submit=#

Hello,

I am from New Zealand and have got coeliac too, sometimes after being out for a 'so called GF meal', I still end up with a stomach ache, so I take a health product called Digest Gluten. This does seem to help, but is only an emergengcy solution, as it is best to not touch gluten. But when someone goes to great lengths to tell you it is GF, well????. They don't realise sometimes that such a tiny bit of gluten can hurt!!!

Digest Gluten is an enzyme that helps to digest it.

Although it is not essential to join Coeliac UK it can be handy to get a copy of their Food and Drink Directory. Though they do list items that are suitable for consumsion, it really does take you to check the ingrediants as these can change even after; being listed in the directory.

ie. Walkers used to be suitable not any longer. Seabrooks are stated as being suitable, this could change. I never rely on the directory and always check ingrediants, just to be on the safer side.

I have Pom Bear crisps - gluten free and lovely  sold in lots of shops, too.